The Ngunguru Factory is located in Mathira division, Nyeri region of the Central province of Kenya. It is 160 km from Nairobi and 5 km from the town of Karatina along the Nairobi – Nyeri highway. This region has deepfertile soils rich in organic matter with a high water retention capacity. The soils have a well-developed structure providing good drainage and aeration for the coffee trees. In this area farmers mainly grow the SL 28 and SL 34 varieties, often receiving seeds from the factory’s nursery. Ngunguru has a field supervisory committees that oversees all field operations, offers technical advice and penalizes those who don’t conform by barring them from selling their coffee through the factory. Farmers are encouraged to plant shade trees and avoid intercropping to achieve higher production and a demonstration plot exists at the factory to train farmers on good agricultural practices.
After fully ripe cherries are harvested, farmers deliver their coffee to the factory to be depulped on the same day. Cherries are sorted, graded, then depulped and set to ferment overnight. In the morning, the coffee is then washed, soaked, and placed on raised beds to begin the drying process. Drying is conducted in two phases here, the wet to black stage rapid step and the black to white stage conducted slowly and well monitored. On the drying tables parchment is turned continuously to protect it from hot temperatures and ensure even drying.?
For more information on Kenyan coffee, visit our Kenya origin page.
